When the news finally came that Justin's PRD had been changed back, and that we were heading to Washington at the end of the summer, it was hard for me to believe. I couldn't believe that I wasn't going to have to spend a whole summer alone in a foreign country, where my husband and most of my friends are on a ship that is soon to be deploying. I couldn't believe that I wasn't going to be here during the hottest, most miserable months in Japan, where the second you step outside you're already drenched in sweat. I couldn't believe that in a few months, I'd never be lectured again on how to separate my trash properly. I couldn't believe how soon I would be seeing my friends and family. I couldn't believe that I would be able to drive a car again, or shop at Target, or scrapbook. I couldn't believe that my days of walking up 204 stairs would finally be over. More importantly, I couldn't believe that Justin and I would finally be in the states together, starting a new life all over again. I couldn't believe any of it, and now I know why. It was too good to be true.
Five days after Justin spoke to his detailer and found out where our next duty station was going to be, the Navy decided to place a hold on all PCS moves due to their budget. Even though Justin had already been approved for his new orders, they were in the process of being finalized and we were waiting to receive them. The Navy announced that anyone who has not already received their orders will not be able to transfer until after October. Justin decided to contact his detailer to see if he was among the some 14,000 sailors affected by this. His detailer told him that he has been unposted and that his PRD has been adjusted, yet again I might add, to November 09 and that we will not be leaving until November at the very earliest. "The very earliest," which to me is their nice way of saying it'll be longer than that. After everything we went through the past few months with hearing that he had been extended out here another year, and having to go through the stress with the runaround and the headache with the paperwork and the anticipation with waiting, to eventually get everything worked out, I thought we were finally in the clear, but I guess not. Somehow I have a feeling that had all that not happened, Justin would have received his orders a long time ago and we wouldn't be in this mess now, but who really knows. So now the Navy has come up with some other way to keep us out here longer than we thought, and I'm feeling a little frustrated. I feel like we are back in square one again. I feel hopeless. I feel like we are going to be stuck in this country forever. I feel like we are never coming home. And pretty soon, I'll feel alone.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
My vacation
Gosh I don't even know where to start. So much has happened in the past 3 weeks. A lot of important unanswered questions were finally answered for us, all while the Steves were out here for 2 weeks! I can't believe how fast the time went by! It's hard to believe that I go back to work tomorrow, to a totally new group of classes. I'm not going to see those familiar faces staring up at me eager to learn. Instead, I feel like I'm back in August again, starting all over at Yokosuka Sogo High School, unsure what to expect, and unsure what the students are going to expect from me. I just hope these next few months are as great as the past 8 have been! I'm sure they will be, and I hope the time continues to fly by! We recently found out where we are going to be stationed, and I'm ready to get there and get settled in! Justin's new orders are to the USS Abraham Lincoln, stationed in Everett Washington. Justin will leave here in September of this year, and has to serve a minimum of 24 months on his new ship. Since Justin's EAOS (expiration of active obligated service) is before his 24 months are up, he will have to extend for about 6 months in order to fulfill the 24 month requirement. As soon as Justin has his new orders in hand, we are going to contact the personal property office to see how soon they can ship our stuff. I am hoping they will be able to ship it sometime in June or July, that way I can come home for a few months, since Justin will be gone for the summer anyways, and can spend a few months with my friends and family before moving up to Washington. :) Needless to say, I'm really excited for the months to come and am super stoked that we finally got all the answers we wanted!
Now on to my brother (Steve) and Steve (his best friend)s trip. They came and went faster than I could have ever imagined! I think those were the fasest 2 weeks in my life. We were so busy from the day they got here though, that it doesn't surprise me the time flew by. It's like they say, time fly's when you're havin fun! The boys arrived here Saturday March 28th at 6pm. Justin and I took the Navy bus to and from the airport to pick them up. By the time we finally got back in Yokosuka it was around 10pm, and seeing that they had just gotten off of a 12 hour flight, which neither of them slept on, they were pretty tired. We did however make a quick stop at McDonalds before going back to my apartment. The boys got a good laugh out of having their first meal in Japan at Mc'D's. :) We woke up the next morning and decided to show them around base. Justin gave them a tour of the George Washington and afterwards they wanted to go to Sushi with my friend Sanae (I didn't eat anything). After filling up on raw fish and beer, they asked me if I could show them my school. I wasn't sure if the school was going to be open, since we were on spring break, but it was! (Doesn't surprise me. I think Japanese students are the only ones I know who would go to school even on vacation.) I was able to take them inside the school and even show them my office. After spending some time there, Sanae conviced everyone that it was time for karaoke! I think we spent over 3 hours singing karaoke, way more time than needed, but it was fun! We decided to finish off our night by heading to the honch (a street for bar hopping) so the boys could see our Yokosuka nightlife, and try a chu-hi! Seeing that it was a Sunday night, the honch was pretty quite and lame, so we decided to call it a night because the next day we started our travels! Here are some pics from the first day.
On the train down to base
Yuk! Sushi :-/
Beer vending machines
My office at work
My desk is in the middle
Singing their hearts out at karaoke!
On Monday, the Steves and I headed up to Yokohama to start our 4 days of traveling. Justin couldn't travel with us because they wouldn't let him take leave. :( He tried to request 72 hour special liberty, but they told him that Saturday and Sunday count as liberty so they wouldn't give him any weekdays off. When we got to Yokohama, we checked into our first hostel of the trip. It was quite interesting and very tiny! We paid about $30 per person, and had to pay 200 yen ($2.00) for a 7 minute shower, in which the 4 shower rooms were located on the first floor of the building. Also, there was no bathroom in our room, but a community bathroom on each floor. We were only in Yokohama for the day, so we quickly set out to see China town, Yokohama stadium, Landmark tower and the giant ferris wheel before going back to our mats on the floor (literally!) and catching some zzz's for our Nikko tour the next day! Here are pics of hostel #1 and our day in Yokohama.
Our room for the night!
So tiny!
My brother and I in front of Landmark tower (Japans tallest building)
The ferris wheel
On Tuesday we got up early to go on a tour to Nikko. My brother was super stoked for this tour because we were going to see the hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil statue. It was pretty ironic and funny that his camera died right after he snapped a picture of it! Our tour was about 10 hours long, and when it was finished, we were off to find our hostel for the night. Our hostel this night was a lot bigger. We paid about $40 per person, had 1 shower on our floor and didnt have to pay for it this time! Amazing what 10 extra dollars will get ya! :) Here are some pictures from our tour to Nikko and hostel #2.
Temples and shrines in Nikko
Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil
The lake
Goobers
Kegon waterfall
Hostel #2
Our beds
On Wednesday we had a free day in Tokyo. Sanae came up early that morning so we could go to the famous tsukiji fish market. Pretty funny that we went to a fish market and didn't see a single fish! I guess we got there too late (who knew 8am was late?) to see any fish. After the market we decided to go find our hostel for that night (which actually had beds!) and then went to Shibuya to see the worlds most crowded intersection.
Riding in the Women only train car!
A lot of umbrellas!
Sanae calls me her "Barbie girl"
Sanae and I in front of a famous statue.
On Thursday we went on a tour to Mt. Fuji, Japan's largest mountain. We took a cruise on Lake Ashi and a cable car ride up a different mountain to see awesome views of Mt Fuji. We also got to ride the Shinkansen, or bullet train, Japan's fastest train which goes more than 180 mph! We went back to my apartment after our tour to rest up and save some money so we could go out in Tokyo Friday night.
Mt. Fuji
Steve and I in front of Mt. Fuji
This kid tried to bring his snow back on the bus with us!
The hole in the mountain is where it last erupted 300 years ago!
The bullet train!
Friday Justin got off work early and we went back up to Tokyo to experience Friday night nightlife in Tokyo. We ended up at a place called Club Pure. There was a 3500 yen ($35) charge for guys and 2500 yen ($25) charge for girls, but it was all you can drink! It was quite the experience and definitely a fun night :)
We left Tokyo Saturday morning and went to Kamakura to see the famous Daibutsu or Big Buddha and Hase-dera temple. My brother ended up saying that this was his favorite part of the trip. Whats really funny is Justin and I visited this exact spot last year when I came out to visit in April. Go figure that some how I managed to wear the exact same outfit to the exact same place exactly one year later! Justin said I need new clothes ;)
In front of Hase-dera temple
What an awesome view!
Justin and I in a cave
so cute!
Big Buddha!!
On Sunday we went down to a cherry blossom festival on base and hung out around Yokosuka. We went back to my apartment early that night because we were going to spend the next 3 days traveling Kyoto. Monday morning we woke up at 430am to catch a train to Kyoto. We ended up taking the bullet train again, which was more expensive than we had planned, but well worth it! We explored Kyoto on our own, finding imperial palace and a bunch of other temples and shrines during our adventures that day. That night we stayed in a traditional Japanese Ryokan.
The Steves in their Yukatas!
Tuesday we took a bus ride to see Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavilion. I think this was my favorite place in Kyoto. After visiting there, we took another bus ride to go to a Monkey park. The monkey park was totally awesome, but the monkeys were a little mean! I was feeding one monkey an apple and for some reason it got mad at me and smacked me! My brother was also feeding one and he went to touch its hand and it got mad and threw the apple at him, hissed at him and showed his teeth. We were able to walk amongst the monkeys, which was fun, but a little scary at times! By the time we finished at the monkey park, it was too late to go do anything else, so we went back to our Ryokan that we were staying at for this night.
The golden temple
At the monkey park
Our Ryokan for the night
On Wednesday, we woke up early to try and squeeze in a few more sites before heading back to my apartment that afternoon. Steve had a kick boxing class he wanted to go to that evening so we had to catch the bullet train back to Yokosuka. During the morning we went to the Gion district in search of a Geisha girl. :) With no such luck, we headed to the train station to catch our Shinkansen back home!
The shinkansen again!
Thursday was their last day here before they went back to the states. We hung around my apartment most of the day, and decided to check out Costco that afternoon. I was stoked because I got a berry sundae and it was delicious! I was in heaven! Costco was pretty much the same as it is in the states, except it was much cleaner (as Steve said) and a bit more expensive. I couldn't believe it was Friday when I woke up the next morning, and that their trip here had quickly come to an end. I took them down to base so they could ride the Navy bus to the airport. It was weird coming home to my apartment again and not having them here. I miss my 2 sidekicks, but am happy to have time with Justin again before he goes out in a few weeks. All in all it was an adventerous and exciting vacation! I'm really glad that the Steves were able to come out when they did, otherwise who knows if they ever would have had the chance, seeing that Justin and I are headed home soon! (I'm excited about that in case you can't tell) :)
Now on to my brother (Steve) and Steve (his best friend)s trip. They came and went faster than I could have ever imagined! I think those were the fasest 2 weeks in my life. We were so busy from the day they got here though, that it doesn't surprise me the time flew by. It's like they say, time fly's when you're havin fun! The boys arrived here Saturday March 28th at 6pm. Justin and I took the Navy bus to and from the airport to pick them up. By the time we finally got back in Yokosuka it was around 10pm, and seeing that they had just gotten off of a 12 hour flight, which neither of them slept on, they were pretty tired. We did however make a quick stop at McDonalds before going back to my apartment. The boys got a good laugh out of having their first meal in Japan at Mc'D's. :) We woke up the next morning and decided to show them around base. Justin gave them a tour of the George Washington and afterwards they wanted to go to Sushi with my friend Sanae (I didn't eat anything). After filling up on raw fish and beer, they asked me if I could show them my school. I wasn't sure if the school was going to be open, since we were on spring break, but it was! (Doesn't surprise me. I think Japanese students are the only ones I know who would go to school even on vacation.) I was able to take them inside the school and even show them my office. After spending some time there, Sanae conviced everyone that it was time for karaoke! I think we spent over 3 hours singing karaoke, way more time than needed, but it was fun! We decided to finish off our night by heading to the honch (a street for bar hopping) so the boys could see our Yokosuka nightlife, and try a chu-hi! Seeing that it was a Sunday night, the honch was pretty quite and lame, so we decided to call it a night because the next day we started our travels! Here are some pics from the first day.
On the train down to base
Yuk! Sushi :-/
Beer vending machines
My office at work
My desk is in the middle
Singing their hearts out at karaoke!
On Monday, the Steves and I headed up to Yokohama to start our 4 days of traveling. Justin couldn't travel with us because they wouldn't let him take leave. :( He tried to request 72 hour special liberty, but they told him that Saturday and Sunday count as liberty so they wouldn't give him any weekdays off. When we got to Yokohama, we checked into our first hostel of the trip. It was quite interesting and very tiny! We paid about $30 per person, and had to pay 200 yen ($2.00) for a 7 minute shower, in which the 4 shower rooms were located on the first floor of the building. Also, there was no bathroom in our room, but a community bathroom on each floor. We were only in Yokohama for the day, so we quickly set out to see China town, Yokohama stadium, Landmark tower and the giant ferris wheel before going back to our mats on the floor (literally!) and catching some zzz's for our Nikko tour the next day! Here are pics of hostel #1 and our day in Yokohama.
Our room for the night!
So tiny!
My brother and I in front of Landmark tower (Japans tallest building)
The ferris wheel
On Tuesday we got up early to go on a tour to Nikko. My brother was super stoked for this tour because we were going to see the hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil statue. It was pretty ironic and funny that his camera died right after he snapped a picture of it! Our tour was about 10 hours long, and when it was finished, we were off to find our hostel for the night. Our hostel this night was a lot bigger. We paid about $40 per person, had 1 shower on our floor and didnt have to pay for it this time! Amazing what 10 extra dollars will get ya! :) Here are some pictures from our tour to Nikko and hostel #2.
Temples and shrines in Nikko
Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil
The lake
Goobers
Kegon waterfall
Hostel #2
Our beds
On Wednesday we had a free day in Tokyo. Sanae came up early that morning so we could go to the famous tsukiji fish market. Pretty funny that we went to a fish market and didn't see a single fish! I guess we got there too late (who knew 8am was late?) to see any fish. After the market we decided to go find our hostel for that night (which actually had beds!) and then went to Shibuya to see the worlds most crowded intersection.
Riding in the Women only train car!
A lot of umbrellas!
Sanae calls me her "Barbie girl"
Sanae and I in front of a famous statue.
On Thursday we went on a tour to Mt. Fuji, Japan's largest mountain. We took a cruise on Lake Ashi and a cable car ride up a different mountain to see awesome views of Mt Fuji. We also got to ride the Shinkansen, or bullet train, Japan's fastest train which goes more than 180 mph! We went back to my apartment after our tour to rest up and save some money so we could go out in Tokyo Friday night.
Mt. Fuji
Steve and I in front of Mt. Fuji
This kid tried to bring his snow back on the bus with us!
The hole in the mountain is where it last erupted 300 years ago!
The bullet train!
Friday Justin got off work early and we went back up to Tokyo to experience Friday night nightlife in Tokyo. We ended up at a place called Club Pure. There was a 3500 yen ($35) charge for guys and 2500 yen ($25) charge for girls, but it was all you can drink! It was quite the experience and definitely a fun night :)
We left Tokyo Saturday morning and went to Kamakura to see the famous Daibutsu or Big Buddha and Hase-dera temple. My brother ended up saying that this was his favorite part of the trip. Whats really funny is Justin and I visited this exact spot last year when I came out to visit in April. Go figure that some how I managed to wear the exact same outfit to the exact same place exactly one year later! Justin said I need new clothes ;)
In front of Hase-dera temple
What an awesome view!
Justin and I in a cave
so cute!
Big Buddha!!
On Sunday we went down to a cherry blossom festival on base and hung out around Yokosuka. We went back to my apartment early that night because we were going to spend the next 3 days traveling Kyoto. Monday morning we woke up at 430am to catch a train to Kyoto. We ended up taking the bullet train again, which was more expensive than we had planned, but well worth it! We explored Kyoto on our own, finding imperial palace and a bunch of other temples and shrines during our adventures that day. That night we stayed in a traditional Japanese Ryokan.
The Steves in their Yukatas!
Tuesday we took a bus ride to see Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavilion. I think this was my favorite place in Kyoto. After visiting there, we took another bus ride to go to a Monkey park. The monkey park was totally awesome, but the monkeys were a little mean! I was feeding one monkey an apple and for some reason it got mad at me and smacked me! My brother was also feeding one and he went to touch its hand and it got mad and threw the apple at him, hissed at him and showed his teeth. We were able to walk amongst the monkeys, which was fun, but a little scary at times! By the time we finished at the monkey park, it was too late to go do anything else, so we went back to our Ryokan that we were staying at for this night.
The golden temple
At the monkey park
Our Ryokan for the night
On Wednesday, we woke up early to try and squeeze in a few more sites before heading back to my apartment that afternoon. Steve had a kick boxing class he wanted to go to that evening so we had to catch the bullet train back to Yokosuka. During the morning we went to the Gion district in search of a Geisha girl. :) With no such luck, we headed to the train station to catch our Shinkansen back home!
The shinkansen again!
Thursday was their last day here before they went back to the states. We hung around my apartment most of the day, and decided to check out Costco that afternoon. I was stoked because I got a berry sundae and it was delicious! I was in heaven! Costco was pretty much the same as it is in the states, except it was much cleaner (as Steve said) and a bit more expensive. I couldn't believe it was Friday when I woke up the next morning, and that their trip here had quickly come to an end. I took them down to base so they could ride the Navy bus to the airport. It was weird coming home to my apartment again and not having them here. I miss my 2 sidekicks, but am happy to have time with Justin again before he goes out in a few weeks. All in all it was an adventerous and exciting vacation! I'm really glad that the Steves were able to come out when they did, otherwise who knows if they ever would have had the chance, seeing that Justin and I are headed home soon! (I'm excited about that in case you can't tell) :)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Extra extra read all about it!
Well, Justin's PRD paperwork finally came back. The long awaited news is finally here. I guess I should have listened to the title of my last blog and understood that no news really is good news :D His paperwork was approved and we are coming back to the states this year! :D Yay!! I'm so excited! Now all we need to find out is where we are going to be stationed! (This is the part where Chrystal and Bonnie begin to fight over me ;) jk) I don't care where it will be though, I'm just happy to be coming back to the land of my family and friends! Man.. patience definitely is a virtue, and the Navy sure teaches you that!
My brother and Steve and here visiting and we are in Tokyo right now. Justin called me this morning (he isn't traveling with us) and gave me the great news. Kind of sucky timing because I was no where near my computer and thought I wasn't going to be able to call my parents and share the excitment with them. I was texting Bonnie at the time, and thought about having her call them for me but I really wanted to hear my parents reaction when they found out. Luckily Sanae had come up Tokyo in the morning to hang out with us, and she was able to help me dial the states from my phone. It's expensive to call internationally from my cell so I pretty much said "Hi mom, can't talk long, calling from my cell and it's expensive but just wanted to let you know that Justin's paperwork came back and we are coming home this year." She then screamed with excitment, sounded like she was going to cry (tears of joy of course) and told me again and again how happy she is and asked if this is what we wanted (which of course it is) and said she can't wait to start telling everyone. :) I felt bad because Sanae overheard me talking to my mom and said to me "I don't want to lose my friend. I thought you could stay here 1 more year. Just leave Justin and then you can stay." I felt bad being excited about it in front of her, but I couldn't help it! Like John always tells me, "you can take the girl out of the home but you can't take the home out of the girl" ... and Justin and I miss home!
Well anyways, I'll post more about my brother and Steves trip here when I get back to my apartment sometime in the next few days. I just had to share my excitement with everyone because I know that you all have been waiting patiently to find out the news! I'm just so happy that it was good news and not bad. Today just happens to be April 1st here in Japan (April Fools Day) and the Steves said what if Justin was playing a joke on me when he said his paperwork was approved. Oh man if that was the case, Justin would not have been looking forward to me coming home in a few days, but thankfully this is no joke! See you all in a few months!!
My brother and Steve and here visiting and we are in Tokyo right now. Justin called me this morning (he isn't traveling with us) and gave me the great news. Kind of sucky timing because I was no where near my computer and thought I wasn't going to be able to call my parents and share the excitment with them. I was texting Bonnie at the time, and thought about having her call them for me but I really wanted to hear my parents reaction when they found out. Luckily Sanae had come up Tokyo in the morning to hang out with us, and she was able to help me dial the states from my phone. It's expensive to call internationally from my cell so I pretty much said "Hi mom, can't talk long, calling from my cell and it's expensive but just wanted to let you know that Justin's paperwork came back and we are coming home this year." She then screamed with excitment, sounded like she was going to cry (tears of joy of course) and told me again and again how happy she is and asked if this is what we wanted (which of course it is) and said she can't wait to start telling everyone. :) I felt bad because Sanae overheard me talking to my mom and said to me "I don't want to lose my friend. I thought you could stay here 1 more year. Just leave Justin and then you can stay." I felt bad being excited about it in front of her, but I couldn't help it! Like John always tells me, "you can take the girl out of the home but you can't take the home out of the girl" ... and Justin and I miss home!
Well anyways, I'll post more about my brother and Steves trip here when I get back to my apartment sometime in the next few days. I just had to share my excitement with everyone because I know that you all have been waiting patiently to find out the news! I'm just so happy that it was good news and not bad. Today just happens to be April 1st here in Japan (April Fools Day) and the Steves said what if Justin was playing a joke on me when he said his paperwork was approved. Oh man if that was the case, Justin would not have been looking forward to me coming home in a few days, but thankfully this is no joke! See you all in a few months!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
No news is good news
Whoever said that no news is good news? The whole no news concept is a little frustrating if you ask me. It has been over 3 weeks since Justin submitted his paperwork to get his PRD changed back to this August, and we still have yet to hear if it has been approved or not. Not to mention we have been dealing with this mess for 2 months now, and are only a smidgen closer to hopefully fixing the problem. I understand that his paperwork needs to be routed up his chain of command, and requires the signature of the 2nd highest person on the ship, who I'm sure he is a very busy man with more important things to do than decide the fate of a fellow shipmates future, but 3 weeks for a darn signature? Come on now people... This whole process has been very antagonizing. Every day I wake up and think today’s the day; today Justin is going to go to work and his paperwork is going to be there waiting for him and we are finally going to find out where we are going to spend the next year of our life. Every day I sit at work waiting for Justin’s phone call wondering when he calls will he sound ecstatic or distraught? And every day for the past 3 weeks Justin has called me knowing no more then he knew 2 months ago, and we are left hoping for tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A lesson in English
Today Justin gave me a lesson in English. I was talking to him online while I was at work when this conversation came up. Mind you it all started because Shibuya, one of my Japanese English Teachers who also sits next to me in our office, made a comment about some cookies I was eating. Everyday he takes interest in my lunch, and no matter what I am eating he always says "Mmm smells good." Meanwhile I think the exact opposite of that when he pulls out his lunch! I usually have to hold my breathe while he is eating, and most of the time he talks while he eats and food flies all over my desk! But as for him, I could be eating dog poop for all he knows and I'm sure he'd say the same thing "smells good!" Shibuya calls my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches "berry bread", thinks root beer is actually beer and thought the red sugar on top of the Valentines sugar cookies I brought was, in his words, "spicy pepper". Anyways, today he made a comment that taught me, the native English teacher, a lesson in English! Here is my conversation with Justin...
12:39:31 PM Kristen: shibuya saw my cookies and said "ooo everyday sweets take care of your waste"
12:39:39 PM Justin: ?
12:39:42 PM Justin: waste?
12:39:51 PM Justin: or weight
12:40:09 PM Kristen: waste
12:40:12 PM Justin: ?
12:40:20 PM Kristen: your waste
12:40:28 PM Kristen: you dont know what your waste is?
12:40:36 PM Kristen: like where your pants sit, on your waste
12:40:37 PM Justin: your poop?
12:40:42 PM Justin: waist
12:40:47 PM Kristen: oh hahah
12:40:49 PM Kristen: true
12:39:31 PM Kristen: shibuya saw my cookies and said "ooo everyday sweets take care of your waste"
12:39:39 PM Justin: ?
12:39:42 PM Justin: waste?
12:39:51 PM Justin: or weight
12:40:09 PM Kristen: waste
12:40:12 PM Justin: ?
12:40:20 PM Kristen: your waste
12:40:28 PM Kristen: you dont know what your waste is?
12:40:36 PM Kristen: like where your pants sit, on your waste
12:40:37 PM Justin: your poop?
12:40:42 PM Justin: waist
12:40:47 PM Kristen: oh hahah
12:40:49 PM Kristen: true
Saturday, January 24, 2009
UPDATE!
Hi, Im not sure if anyone reads this anymore but I thought I would update anyways with some important news that Justin and I just found out. Well.. I wont be coming home in May, and Justin will not be coming home in August. The navy has decided to keep Justin over here for another year, until August 2010. This all came about when Justin called my friend Christinas dad, who is a CWO in the Navy, to ask a few questions about a ship he had put down as a request in case he didnt get the Lincoln. Mr. Lewis said he would call the detailer (the person who decides where to station Justin) to see if he could find out more about Justins orders, and hopefully push for the Lincoln. The detailer explained to Mr. Lewis that Justin is not up for a new ship because he has not completed 24 months on the George Washington (the ship he cross-decked to from the Kitty Hawk last August.) He said that Justin has to spend 24 months on his new ship in order to be able to change to another one and that 24 month time period wont be completed until August 2010. Ironically, the same day that we found this out was the same day that my company emailed me offering me another contract for the coming school year. So I will extend my contract to March 2010, and come home between then and May 2010 and Justin come in August. Its the same time frame as what would have happened this year, only pushed back a year because he has to complete 24 months on the Washington. That means no moving to Washington to live with Bonnie and Jeff, and Justin has to spend yet another year over here, but what can ya do? We just gotta go with the flow, and look at the good that comes out of all of this. We will be able to save up more money over here, and hopefully be able to put down for a nice place or car when we get back to the states, Ive been looking at the job market back home and its looking pretty grim for people with BA degrees in my field, we get to spend another year exploring a beautiful country that who knows when we would ever get to visit again, and Id kinda like to see how Obama does his first year in office, without actually having to be there and feel the effects of it. :) OH and not to mention that because Justin will have spent 4 years over seas, when he gets back in August he goes straight to shore duty, which means he doesnt have to do another deployment :) All of this came as a complete shock to us and totally out of left field. At the very least, we were expecting to be sent somewhere that we didnt want to go, but to hear that he has another year left over here took a little bit of time to comprehend and accept because it was completely not what we were expecting to hear. That being said, I will try my hardest to update my blog more, seeing that we have a whole 'nother year of new journeys and experiences to come. :)
And also, I couldnt be more excited that my Steve's (my brother and his best friend who is like my other brother) are coming out here at the end of March! :) I cant wait!!!!
And also, I couldnt be more excited that my Steve's (my brother and his best friend who is like my other brother) are coming out here at the end of March! :) I cant wait!!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
'08 was great!
So I was thinkin about it the other day and a lot happened in 08. Justin and I got married, Christina and Chris got engaged, Chrystal and I graduated college and she got accepted in to Grad School at CSU Fullerton and also got her dream job working at CSUSM as a counselor, Bonnie and Jeff survived their first deployment and also had another baby, Krystal and Anthony got engaged, Justin turned 21 and I moved to Japan. Thats a lot to happen in one year! I hope '09 is just as good =)
Speaking of Japan, there have been some things I have wanted to share about this country. For starters, there are no public trash cans. Not even in the park or at the train stations, I guess thats how they keep their country so clean. Not to mention the day I moved into my apartment I got handed a book on how to seperate my trash. They are very big on that kid of stuff over here. Another interesting fact, there is no soap or paper towels in public bathrooms... yuk! And no toilet seat covers either. In fact, I have noticed that most toilet seats are warm... maybe thats to make up for the lack of seat covers. The trains come about every 5-10 minutes, depending on the time of day, and there are red, black and green trains. The black trains are the local and stop at every stop. The red and green trains are the limited express trains and skip stops, the green train is the fastest and stops at the fewest amount of stops. For example, the green train does not stop at our stop, but both red and black trains do.
Well Justin and I have been very busy lately. We went ice skating the other day, which I will post pics from, and then we are going snowboarding this weekend! I cant wait its going to be so much fun! I only have one more day of work and then Im off until the 8th of Jan. Then I work Jan-March and Im done! I cant believe how fast it has gone by. The other day my Vice Prinicipal was in my office talking to one of the teachers and he told her to tell me not to go back to the states, he said "Only your husband go." Haha trust me I wish we could stay here, but I have to go where the hubby goes! Lol anyways, so tomorrow is Christmas Eve here, Justin has duty and I have to work. He gets off duty Christmas morning and I think we are having a few friends over for breakfast. We will probably do dinner on the base again like we did for Thanksgiving. Alright well here are our pics from ice skating! Ill try and post again soon, I know Ive been slackin. Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year just in case! =)
Speaking of Japan, there have been some things I have wanted to share about this country. For starters, there are no public trash cans. Not even in the park or at the train stations, I guess thats how they keep their country so clean. Not to mention the day I moved into my apartment I got handed a book on how to seperate my trash. They are very big on that kid of stuff over here. Another interesting fact, there is no soap or paper towels in public bathrooms... yuk! And no toilet seat covers either. In fact, I have noticed that most toilet seats are warm... maybe thats to make up for the lack of seat covers. The trains come about every 5-10 minutes, depending on the time of day, and there are red, black and green trains. The black trains are the local and stop at every stop. The red and green trains are the limited express trains and skip stops, the green train is the fastest and stops at the fewest amount of stops. For example, the green train does not stop at our stop, but both red and black trains do.
Well Justin and I have been very busy lately. We went ice skating the other day, which I will post pics from, and then we are going snowboarding this weekend! I cant wait its going to be so much fun! I only have one more day of work and then Im off until the 8th of Jan. Then I work Jan-March and Im done! I cant believe how fast it has gone by. The other day my Vice Prinicipal was in my office talking to one of the teachers and he told her to tell me not to go back to the states, he said "Only your husband go." Haha trust me I wish we could stay here, but I have to go where the hubby goes! Lol anyways, so tomorrow is Christmas Eve here, Justin has duty and I have to work. He gets off duty Christmas morning and I think we are having a few friends over for breakfast. We will probably do dinner on the base again like we did for Thanksgiving. Alright well here are our pics from ice skating! Ill try and post again soon, I know Ive been slackin. Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year just in case! =)
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